Yosemite rightfully belongs to you - all of it!

It's unthinkable today that Yosemite Valley could have been dammed and flooded. But it did happen to Hetch Hetchy. It is time to undo the damage.

Image: Grant Povnick

But there is a problem. In 1913, Congress allowed the city of San Francisco to dam and flood Hetch Hetchy - one of two spectacular glacier-carved valleys within Yosemite. Hetch Hetchy Valley is underwater, and access to the surrounding area is severely compromised.

The loss of Hetch Hetchy would be disappointing but understandable if San Francisco's reservoir were necessary to provide the City and its customers with a reliable water supply. Studies - by universities, government agencies and environmental groups - have shown, however, that the reservoir is not necessary. Some system improvements are required, but they are very doable.

Michael O'Shaughnessy, San Francisco's Chief Engineer, with a map indicating (erroneously) that most of the Tuolumne River watershed belongs to San Francisco.

It is apparent that San Francisco officials will not let go of Hetch Hetchy willingly or easily. So we have challenged the City in court. We have a strong case, with top experts prepared to testify on our behalf. San Francisco continues, however, to oppose even a discussion of the merits of restoration in a courtroom.